Inevitable
by EbonyK
Summary: The ongoing struggle shown by Tony and Ziva, starts with acknowledging that Tony is not the same playboy as 4 years ago, he's looking for a woman, and he has his mind set on someone we all know Comments extremely welcome!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One; Naughty or Nice

She stared at him curiously, wondering what made him come to work everyday. Was it the thrill of holding a gun? No that thought was rather haunting and overbearing for anyone. The babes? Doubt it, they had seemed to had dropped off his list ever since the incident with Jeanne. Was it the GSM "Christmas" issue- labeled Naughty and Nice- which he happened to be reading now? What did he see in those girls? So they were beautiful! That does not mean a thing. His thoughts deserved better than that pile of scum he was getting high off!

He stared at the picture curiously, wondering about her, thinking about her. Her luscious hair out and flowing, over her coat, which was hiding her smokin' body- not something you would usually see in a GSM magazine.

Gibbs walked into the room, threw down a file and grabbed his coat and "gear." The rest of the team instantly followed, as if the orders did not need to be verbal anymore, just assumed.

Tony closed the magazine and locked it in his top drawer before scurrying to the elevator. Pathetic, thought Ziva, As if anyone is wanting to steal that childish magazine from you Tony! She rushed after the closing elevator, narrowly placing her hand in between to stop the doors. Tony gave her a playful smirk. Her returning glare was as cold as ice. His expression seemed dissolved by this unfriendly gesture. The rest of the team noticed it too. She felt a stinging sensation to the back of her head.

"Play nice."

The elevator buzzed as the team passed forward from around her. All except for Tony. Despite the cold feelings from her, he still smiled. Standing behind her, her breathing and heartbeat stopped. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and he leaned closer to the side of her face.

"Promise me something," he barely whispered. Too stunned and dazed to speak, she just nodded.

"Don't kill me?"

He left from behind her and kept walking. Imagining the cute confused expression that should be on her face, he resolved to walking backwards as he threw her the keys- his way to make amends for whatever it was he had done. She playfully glared at him- my driving isn't that bad.

Back in the bullpen, Tony stared at the working Ziva puzzled. What had sparked that coldness earlier this morning? The magazine was back on his desk again, and like this morning was still opened to the same picture.

"DiNozzo!" she almost screamed as she thudded down the phone onto the receiver. His name and the thudding made him jump.

"Yes sweet cheeks?" he replied, his answer drenched with irritation.

"Do you mind not staring at the naughty girls in your magazine and help me with the case?!"

"I'm waiting for a phone call if you don't mind Dav-id!" his voice suddenly full of anger. Why is she pissed with me?! I haven't done anything wrong! She has no right to get angry at me! His phone suddenly rang and he answered it before it had sounded a second time.

"Oh hey Sam, how've you been?....No I'm not busy....I'll come and pick you up.... Okay.... Bye-bye," and a very pleased Anthony DiNozzo placed the phone gently back on the receiver. Ziva made her way- obviously pissed- across the bullpen. He stood up- trying to look taller and more confident.

"Who was that?" Ziva asked bitterly.

"Samantha," he replied defensively.

"Who is she? One of the naughty girls from GSM?"

"Why do you care so much huh? You've been pissed at me all day and I wanna know what the hell I've done to deserve it!" Both had obvious anger in their voices and body language.

"You spend your time reading these stupid magazines, getting turned on by these promiscuous women! Instead of working you spend your time looking filth!"

"So that's it huh? That's why you're pissed?! That phone call- Samantha- she works for the FBI! We are not allowed access to their files since it's in their main jurisdiction, I was getting us a way in with an old colleague of mine! And the promiscuous women you're talking about? Most damn beautiful woman I ever saw!" Throwing down the magazine onto his desk, with a Polaroid picture, holding itself in the spine. It was the picture of her in Paris.

"It's a 2003 issue Zee-va! Different guy!"

Obviously upset, confused and angry, Tony stormed off to the elevator with his gear. Ziva was motionless- so disorientated and dumbfounded. The picture had been of her. And she had accused him of his old ways. She felt awful. After all of the work they had helped each other through lately, her irrational and unjustified outburst just set them back farther.

She went over to her desk and ninja kicked it. Ziva then resolved to throwing everything off the desk, before limply shrinking down the edge of her desk. How could I have thought he was back to that? Back to his old old self? I've ruined everything. Again. And out of all the women in that magazine, he wasn't staring at any of them. Only me.

She reflected back on his words, "Most damn beautiful woman I ever saw!" Her hands easily found her heavy head as they cradled it. Her eyes were shut tight- a way to ruin the possibility for any tears. A hand suddenly reached around her shoulders, pulling her close. For a moment she thought it might have been McGee or Abby. But it was Gibbs.

Her head flopped onto his strong shoulder as he stroked her back. "Basement? Bourbon?

Bar? Break? Back-off? I'm running out of B words David," he chuckled. So did she.

"They work for you. I just need to get out of here. Thanks anyway," she smiled as she collected her stuff and left. It was snowing as she got in her car. McGee finally came up from Abby's lab. Gibbs just shook his head and laughed at him.

"McGee what have we got?"

"Urgh... boss I um," McGee stuttered.

"You telling me you and Abby got nothing together?"

McGee seemed dazed over the words you, Abby and together in the same sentence. Gibbs signature slapped him. McGee snapped out of an obvious daydream mode.

"Yeah pretty much boss."

"What the hell were you guys doing down there?"

"Um well I wanted to hide while Ziva and Tony figured out what was kind of eating at them both."

"For an hour?"

"Yeah sorry boss. Right on it boss." He typed quickly on his keyboard, bringing up a number of screens on the plasma. Gibbs gives his distinctive glare.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two; Apologies

It seemed like a long drive home. The snow seemed to be picking up, making Ziva's driving even more dangerous to those on the road. Also coming into factor that Ziva was pissed at her earlier actions_. I acted so irrationally! Why the hell do I care if Tony still reads those magazines?_ Suddenly, she slammed on the brakes and got out of the car. Frankly, she didn't care that she left her car running and unlocked in the middle of the road. Or the fact that cars were beeping their horns at her. She wanted to know why an Anthony DiNozzo was sitting on her doorstep with a bunch of flowers.

"Tony?" He looked up, startled by her arrival. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going out with…Samantha?" Ziva quietly said.

"Yeah, I kinda bailed on that idea," he chuckled, tousling his hair with a sheepish look in his gorgeous face. "Felt that too many things were left unsaid."

"Look before you start I just," she started before pausing.

"I'm sorry." They both said in unison. With another smirk on his face and a puzzled one on hers she had to say something.

"Okay, we know why I'm sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I should have thrown that magazine out in 2003, rather than piss you and Gibbs off."

"Gibbs? Why was he pissed?"

"He doesn't like head-slapping you. I swear that in thirty years time, I'm gonna get amnesia because of him! But you, no no! He hates hitting you." Ziva laughed at his dramatics. He looked up and snickered.

"Oh yeah, these are for you," Tony said, getting up off the ground, picking up the flowers and standing up in front of her without taking his green eyes out of hers. As the flowers changed owners, Tony's hand gently brushed against hers. Ridiculously enough, she struggled to catch her breath as his touch and famous DiNozzo smirk played their cards again.

"They're called paper whites ziva. (i.e. it is an actual flower) Thought it was cute. I mean, um, urgh, I don't know," he adorably mumbled.

"Thanks...Tony. Do... do you want to come in for some coffee?"

"No, I'm fine thanks. I think I gotta switch to decaf. I'm like a hypo dog, twitching like all the time, might be fleas," scratching his ear as he spoke. She looked at him up and down, smiling and chuckling. _You gotta love Anthony DiNozzo. Wait! What did I just say?! Oh no....._

Sensing her confusion and uncertainty, he crooked his head (in that cute adorable puppy kind of way) and smirked.

"Anything you wanna say sweet cheeks?" Her eyes glistened as it had been years since he had called her that, in a nice tone that is. With a playful and slightly sultry smile, "Nothing, my little hairy butt." She pinched his cheeks and unlocked her apartment.

Tony, who was shaken and slightly agitated, "We really gotta find a better nickname for me."

She placed her things on the counter and turned around to Tony, who was supporting his smokin' body on the doorframe. He looked very seductive, whether intending to or not, and it made Ziva obliviously lose her breath, also sending goose bumps over her body. He smiled at how he made her so uncomfortable.

In an attempt to break the moment, Ziva turned around, and took off her green coat. Tony, who was disappointed she had turned away, said a quick goodbye and left. Ziva peered out at him through her window, noticing him walking. _Did he walk the whole way here?_ Her eyes watched him walk, and then zeroed in on his gorgeous ass. She smiled as she played with a strand of her hair before shutting the blinds and walking away.

Within five minutes, there was a rather loud knock at the door. Ziva opened it to find a panting Tony, gasping for air. He lifted his hand, before trying to breathe slower. Ziva was rather alarmed.

"Do you wanna go for a walk?" he finally stumbled out. She rolled her eyes and led him inside. She practically skipped over to the sofa where she had left her coat. Tony sneaked up behind her and whispered in her ear, "Allow me."

Again, goosebumps went rocketing around her body. His arms brushed around her tiny waist and stole the coat from her hands. He eased her coat up her arms and around her small body. He tousled her hair, making it all messy, which sent her heart crazy. She slapped his hand away, and poked out her tongue, before trying to calm her hair. He laughed at how she suddenly cared about the way she looked. _She always looks beautiful to me. Wait...what?!?_

Ziva swung the door behind them and made sure it was locked. Tony slid down the stair-rail on his butt. He lost his balance around halfway down and fell off.

"I think I'm getting a bit old for that," he said, while perfecting his hair.

"I would have to agree," she laughed while pulling him up by his arms, noticing how muscly his biceps had become. Tony was now standing but Ziva hadn't let go of his arms. With a really puzzled look on his face, "You like my guns or something David?"

Realising what she was doing, she instantly dropped her hands and started walking.

Tony laughed as he caught up to her and they started talking, strolling down the street, with not a care in the world.


	3. Chapter 3

**HI! I want to thank you guys for all your beautiful and amazing comments. They have really helped me writing this. Thanks for sticking with the story. I know I'm not the fastest author but I try and write the best that I can. I'm not sure whether to bring some McAbby into it later or not. Just letting you know, there is some swearing/coarse language coming up in this chapter, but I thought it was deserving of it. THANK YOU!**

Chapter Three; Walking on Thin Ice

She stared at him as he was rambling about some new movie he had recently seen. _We are back to our old selves- After Jeanne and before Rivkin. When we used to have fun, without caring what was happening around us. Our flirting was harmless and wasn't attacked nor was it unnoticed. It's my Tony._

He tried not to stare at her, as he was fully aware that she couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was sure he wouldn't be able to handle more eye sex between them_. Things are the way they used to be. When we used to have fun, flirting, movie marathons, pranks on McGee. I'm glad she doesn't mind me talking so much. She's back. It's my Ziva. _

Their walk took them along the streets, when Ziva, eager to make the walk as long as possible opted to walk through the park and near the frozen pond away from her house. Tony agreed, for similar motives, although not guessing that each other shared the same thoughts.

It was freezing cold, the wind was slightly howling. Ziva, although she was wearing her famous green coat, a scarf and plenty of layers was still freezing cold. Tony on the other hand, was too warm and was taking pleasure in watching the squirming ninja.

"Thought ninjas weren't supposed to get cold."

"Well they do. So rather than joke about it, hand over your thermal underwear, or I will turn ninja on you!" She stopped to threaten him. Her eyes were dancing in his signature lusting stare. Her teeth started chattering, making it harder for him to take her as seriously as she was trying to be.

To keep the conversation alive, he kept walking, almost beckoning her to argue with him. _There's nothing wrong with an occasional argument. Nothing wrong in finding them fun. But perhaps it is slightly prohibited that I purposely spark arguments to quarrel with the english-confused, hot ninja that I work with. Eh she doesn't have to know. _

They reached the edge of the pond, which spread itself over almost the entire park. It was shaped in a huge almost perfect circle. DiNozzo, oblivious and naive to the unchecked and potentially dangerous pond in front of him, kept walking. Ziva was aware of the situation, but for the first time, ignored her instincts and followed the alluring Tony.

"Oh so when I beg you for your thermals because I was suffering from FROSTBITE, no no no. But now, when it's like 35degrees we're like begging. Besides your tiny little body wouldn't fit.

Something crashed loudly, but no reply came. He turned around looking for Ziva, wondering she didn't argue back. She wasn't there.

He noticed the huge hole in the ice. _Oh shit!_

"ZIVA!" Instantly he stripped off his huge coat and threw it to the side as he was sprinting towards the hole in the ice. He was screaming for help to anyone that was around. Unfortunately there was no one. Just him and what was left of poor Ziva.

Diving as best as he could into the freezing water gave him some thrust and momentum. The water was beyond freezing. Almost everything was dark. He couldn't see his Ziva, he could hardly see anything. He knew he didn't have too much time left in the water before he would freeze. But he was not definitely not losing her again. They had come too far to lose it all.

Frantically searching for any sign of his Ziva, he made sure he could see the entrance hole in which they had both entered. Searching the water again, and then he saw it.

A few feet below him he saw a bright green coat, with a motionless Ziva. Her hair, arms and legs were sprawled out, almost in the same motion as a jumping-jack or a starfish. Her eyes were shut and no air bubbles escaped her mouth. He swam towards her as fast as he could, knowing all too well the escape for them was going to be torturous. His lungs were already showing exhaustion and he wasn't sure if he would recover all of the feeling in his body.

When he finally reached her she still showed no signs of life. He wrapped his left arm around her small waist and began to try and swim with his right arm. They started gaining some momentum and finding the hole in the ice was easier than he thought it would be. The movies he used to watch had given him false assumptions.

His lungs were screaming, telling him to let her go and to save himself. Tony knew quite well this could be the end of them. But never ever would he let her go. If she was going, so was he.

They rose closer and closer to the hole, showing Tony more of his surroundings. After for what it seemed a lifetime, they finally reached the hole in the ice. With whatever might he had left, he threw her out of the water and onto the ice's edge, before pulling himself up and out. His strength was so weak, but the air had never been so beautiful to him. He recovered his breath for a few seconds, before glancing over at his partner. She was still motionless.

Crawling to her as quickly as he could, he stripped off her jacket and some of the other drenched clothes.

"Zi, Zi, Zi you gotta stay with me okay. Come on. You cannot leave me alone with probie. Come on! Don't make me do this Zi." He panickedly rambled, getting more and more frustrated with himself that she wouldn't wake up. He took off another layer and cleared her mouth, preparing for CPR.

"Anyone? Help! Call 911!!" He screamed to anyone that could be around. He started doing compressions on her limp body. He was almost crying. _We've been through so much together and to lose it now, because I couldn't give her his damn thermals?! _

"Zi you have to stay with me okay?! Agent David! PROBIE! Don't make me do this! This is not how I wanted this to happen."

He performed mouth-to-mouth several times before more compressions. Her lips were blue and frozen. Still no response. He checked her pulse. It was very weak. That gave him some motivation.

"Come on Zi! Come on! You gotta come through okay?! Everyone would miss you too much. Gibbs, McGee, Ducky, ABBY! Me.." His volume changing from yelling to almost a whisper as he mentioned the team members.

More compressions and finally came the sputtering of water he was waiting and hoping for. Ziva rolled over and spat out at least a gallon of water. Tony had never been so happy. When she had finished gagging, Tony collapsed out of exhaustion onto the ice. Ziva crawled over next to him, huddling up close. Her head was on his rapidly rising and falling chest. As he tried to return his breathing to normal, a happy DiNozzo smile formed on his face as he wrapped his arms around her body, with the sounds of ambulance sirens filling their ears.


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so loving your reviews! Thank you so much guys! I am now totally addicted to the tingly feeling I get from them! :) This has taken forever, sorry. I'm not so good at the medical-side of things in the start of this chapter so please forgive me! Thanks.**

Chapter Four; Check Up

Two very special agents sat upright on two stretchers, being examined by paramedics. Both were being prodded, poked, tested and questioned. Tony didn't care. He was just happy she was alive.

Ziva's condition was more serious than his, but thankfully not critical. She suffered slight hypothermia, and was being rugged up by the paramedics. Most likely, Tony would only suffer a head cold.

Tony just watched her, as she was being fussed over and could easily read her discomfort. Irritation rose into her face, as she was constantly interrupted and dismissed of the ''I'm fine!" Tony undoubtedly thought that if the ninja were in her usual state, she would have already killed the paramedics with a stethoscope.

Wrapped around his shoulders was a warm woollen blanket, courtesy of the old lady- Mrs Wilson- who had called 911. She lived just across the street from the park and was enjoying a lovely stroll with her dog when the event occurred. She had shuffled as fast as she could back to her apartment to call. Tony had thanked Mrs Wilson and she left, as it was too cold for her to bear. Tony was told to keep the blanket.

Ziva on the other hand was covered in a foil blanket, told it would help keep the heat in. The paramedics were consulting each other, talking about their results, and were obviously too busy for Tony to bother.

He hopped down from the stretcher and went and sat down next to Ziva. He wrapped his arm around her, not in a romantic yawn-and-stretch way but more of a friendly hug. She exhaled loudly and flopped her head on his shoulder.

"You hardly look like you almost drowned-slash-froze to death. You look cliché movie style. Makeup unruined. Hair flawlessly in place. Clothes still perfect. Let me help you there," with that his hand whipped to her head and totally messed up her wet stringy locks. She slapped his hand away with a playful scowl.

"Just bringing you out of Hollywood and into our world sweet cheeks," he chirped with a classic heart-stopping Tony DiNozzo grin.

"Ha! This is coming from you, the movie critic, continuously referring your life to movies?" Ziva snapped back.

"Watch it Dav-id, you're almost begging for a marathon."

They playfully gazed into each other's eyes, each testing the others determination not to give in.

She wanted to give in. To let go of the lust she had built up over the last four years. She was tired of pretending.

He yearned to give in. He wanted her to finally accept the fact that he couldn't live without her. He needed her to be in his arms so he could never let her go. He was tired of pretending.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five; **

**Hi all! Wow I am so slow at updating! Sorry about that! Just I lost everything on my laptop and had to download my copy from the website…. Anyways, again sorry for the slow update. Hopefully now that we can see how they both are thinking, maybe one of them will reveal something…..? Tell me anything that you want me to include. Thanks for reviews, I love them. :) **

As she practically skipped around her apartment, her long chocolate hair flowing down her back, she pondered on her superhero of the day. Actually the year. He was always there whenever she needed him, even though she would never cry out in desperation. It was like a bond they had, where they could read each other's thoughts. Yet, both remained oblivious to the common feelings felt by both.

She doubted that she would have had the strength to do the same fete had the roles been reversed. She shuddered at the thought of losing Tony because of her weakness.

As he drove, he thought about his gallant behavior. He was extremely proud of himself. As was Gibbs. Even though he received a nasty slap for not paying attention to the surroundings and not checking the pond, he could still see the slight upturn of his lips and the proud stare he received most of the afternoon.

He was also extremely proud of his choice of movies he had picked up. _The Bourne Identity, Gladiator_ and _Casablanca_, definitely a wide range of genres. He was about to have the best night of his life.

She heard the doorbell ring, followed by a jingle of keys unlocking and opening the front door. She chirped that she'd be there in a minute. Ziva practically ripped off her track pants and Ohio State hoodie and pulled on a short deep blue satin dress. She ruffled her straightened her and once more skipped into the living room. He stood there, awfully seductive, stunned at her appearance. She was about to have the best night of her life.

"Jeez Ziva! You fell in an ice pond today! Get some damn clothes on!" Tony barked at her, shoving his stuff on a table and marching into her bedroom. The room was very neat, impeccable even, with only two articles of clothing left on her bed; the track pants and his Ohio State sweatshirt. He grabbed the jumper and held it up to her, beckoning her to explain. She was stunned, first of all impressed that Tony did not want her to show off her tanned body in a tiny fitted dress. But second of all that he had found her/his jumper. She did not know what to say.

"Are you going to get changed?" He stood there, obviously awkward.

"Don't you like my dress my little furry bear?" She played, toying with his mind. A playful scowl formed on her face, beckoning for him to also play her game. She wanted to win.

"Yes, I mean no, it looks, um damn it Ziva! Just put these clothes on will ya?" He rambled, obviously she had won. She ripped the clothes from his hands and huffed. She was looking forward to flirting with her new party dress. She intensely enjoyed the way he lovingly looked up and down every curve of her body, anxious to see the hidden.

Without waiting for him to leave, Ziva unzipped and dropped her dress on the floor, leaving only a black lacy bra and matching panties. Tony's mouth went dry. _Why, why why did she have to do that? _

Before Tony could even say something, Ziva turned the conversation on him.

"Tony! Leave! What do you think you're doing?" she yelled, not even bothering to turn around or even look at him. She knew he could not have a reply. He would be to dumbfounded. She could picture the puppy-dog baffled look on his face right now. It made her giggle inside.

Very stunned, Tony left the room and placed _Casablanca _into the DVD player.

Minutes into the movie, Tony had already started the popcorn and was watching the movie eagerly. Ziva soon joined him wearing his warm jumper and a pair of flannelette pyjama pants. She sat down on the lounge and to Tony's surprise, snuggled herself under his arm, resting her head on his chest. She smelt so much like strawberries- it drove Tony nuts. _It's a weird feeling. Surprising that she pulled such a move. But it feels natural. Is this what it would feel like all the time if I was with her? _ He never wanted in a million years to let go of her or for her to move.

_Should I be worried that he didn't react? C'mon Zi, he's calling your fluff? Is that how it's said? Sounds weird. Like hell he would let you do this otherwise. Right? But it feels like his chest was sculpted perfectly for my head, that his arm was exactly the right size to cradle me. Is this what it would be like with him? I never want to leave, never want him to let me go. _

As they were both looking for an excuse as not to move from each other's embrace, they stayed and watched the credits, before Ziva arched her back and tried to stretch. Reluctantly, Tony lifted his arm off her. She didn't move very far at all. She merely lifted her head from his chest. But Tony noticed that her perfectly curved pink lips were still within the right distance. _Do I dare? _

Ziva noticed that Tony was looking at her weird. _Do I have something on my face? Wait…. is he trying to kiss me? _

Tony took a deep breath and leaned in, fully knowing this could be the end of him. He waited for a slap, a punch, the suffocating, some form of pain and death to begin. But nothing. Instead, he tasted the sweet, sugary taste and touch of her cold lips. The moment was perfect. They had barely started before her reactions and instincts kicked in as she pushed him away.

He looked so hurt and so disappointed. She was first of all surprised at what he had done, second that she didn't stop it sooner. _What was I thinking? Damnit Zi! _

She jumped off the lounge and stood up, with her arms crossed in front of her in an angry manner.

"I'd like you to leave, now if you don't mind." She spoke firmly, but still a little uncomfortably.

He closed his eyes and bit his lips. The pain was swirling around every part of his body. His heart felt as if it had been dropkicked by a footballer. He was so confused that she had to repeat herself for the words to finally sink in.

Tony eventually stood up, rubbing his tired and stressed eyes with his palm before roughing his hair. He stared at her, wondering what went wrong. _Was it the kiss? His breath? Was she that worried about Gibbs? Or was she with someone else? _His mind instantly flashed daunting images of Rivkin, with his ridiculously annoying smirk on his face, mocking him. More images showed the brawl they had in Ziva's apartment. Another of her in Tel Aviv when she struck him to the ground.

Ziva stripped off his jumper and handed it to him. It smelt like strawberries. He left behind the DVDs and walked out the door. She stared after him before slamming it shut on his departure.


End file.
